SUMMER 2026
Early College Program For high school students ages 14-18 In-person and online art and design classes
Your ideas and visions.
EARLY COLLEGE PROGRAM STUDENTS HAVE EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO SAIC’S ARCHIVES:
Our resources and mentorship.
• The Joan Flasch Artists’ Book Collection is comprised of 13,000 artist books, zines, and periodicals that will inspire you to rethink the boundaries of how to format your work.
The freedom to create.
• The Video Data Bank houses 6,000 video art titles, including works by Vito Acconci and Chris Burden to contemporary artists like Jeremy Blake and Miranda July.
WHAT MAKES THE EARLY COLLEGE PROGRAM SPECIAL? • Ideas Matter — At SAIC, you will be empowered to bring your ideas to life, whatever form they may take. With the freedom to work in multiple mediums, you’ll leave a more confident artist.
Take a class this summer at the nation’s most influential art and design school. In the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s (SAIC) Early College Program (ECP), explore your creative interests and ideas, build your technical skills, and see what happens when surrounded by a creative community that supports and inspires you.
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•A cclaimed Faculty — Learn from practicing artists, designers, and scholars who are committed to mentoring students with care and insight. •M useum Visits — Enjoy regular access to SAIC’s state-of-the-art facilities and resources, including our Art Institute of Chicago museum, one of the largest art museums in the US.
EARLY COLLEGE PROGRAM SUMMER 2026 CLASSES
REGISTER ONLINE at continuingstudies.saic.edu Title
Time
Class #
SESSION 1: TWO WEEKS | M–F | 6/29-7/10 (NO CLASS 7/3) Artist Materials and Techniques Digital Drawing and Illustration Drawing Studio Fashion Design Fashion Illustration From Drawing to Painting Water-Based Painting
9-12:20 12:40-4 9-12:20 12:40-4 9-12:20 12:40-4 9-12:20
#1067 #1082 #1046 #1063 #1273 #1132 #1104
SESSION 2: TWO WEEKS | M–F | 7/13-7/24 Animation Studio 9-12 Architecture: Design and Drawing: Online 1-4 Creative Writing: Online 9-12 Drawing Studio: Online 1-4 Fashion Construction 1-4 Fashion Illustration 9-12 From Drawing to Painting 9-12 Moving Images : Video Production 1-4 Oil Painting 1-4
#1075 #1004 #1139 #1038 #1057 #1056 #1274 #1074 #1105
SESSION 3: TWO WEEKS | M–F | 7/27-8/7 Comics and Graphic Novels Digital Drawing and Illustration Drawing Studio Fashion Construction Fashion Design From Drawing to Painting Water-Based Painting
#1040 #1083 #1041 #1058 #1059 #1122 #1106
1-4 9-12 9-12 1-4 9-12 9-12 1-4
Chicago: Our Vibrant City Voted Best Big City in the US by readers of Condé Nast Traveler, Chicago is a city of architecture, innovative public art, world-class museums and galleries, and home to one of the country’s largest concentrations of working creatives. It provides the ideal base for Early College Program students to explore creative pursuits.
Visit saic.edu/ecp for course descriptions. Our schedule is subject to change. Please visit the website for the most up-to-date information.
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For full course descriptions, visit saic.edu/ecp.
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The Art Institute of Chicago
Register online at continuingstudies.saic.edu. Questions? Email cs@saic.edu or call 312.629.6170.
All Early College Program students enjoy free entry to the Art Institute of Chicago museum while enrolled!
Tuition
Registration
Students in grades 9–12 can register for noncredit classes. Students who have completed their sophomore year of high school have the option to earn one college credit per class.
Audit (noncredit) course: $648 1.0 college credit (student must have completed their sophomore year): $1,908
The Art Institute of Chicago is the School’s most unique educational resource. Named one of Tripadvisor’s “Best of the Best” US attractions of 2025, its collections are an extension of the classroom and provide unparalleled opportunities for inspiration, learning, and research.
Campus Map
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MONROE
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280 SOUTH COLUMBUS DRIVE
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THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO 111 SOUTH MICHIGAN AVENUE
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THE MODERN WING 159 EAST MONROE STREET
TO WILLIS TOWER
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116 SOUTH MICHIGAN AVENUE
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MACLEAN CENTER 112 SOUTH MICHIGAN AVENUE
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SHARP BUILDING 37 SOUTH WABASH AVENUE
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SULLIVAN CENTER 36 SOUTH WABASH AVENUE
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SAIC GALLERIES 33 SOUTH STATE STREET
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THE CHICAGO BUILDING 7 WEST MADISON AVENUE
10. 162 NORTH STATE STREET RESIDENCES
WABASH
ADAMS
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CLARK
8. SAIC GALLERIES
DUSABLE LAKE SHORE DRIVE
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7. SULLIVAN CENTER
6 | saic.edu/ecp
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4
3
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11. GENE SISKEL FILM CENTER 164 NORTH STATE STREET
Lake Michigan
STATE
MADISON
Grant Park
6. SHARP BUILDING (LeRoy Neiman Center)
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COLUMBUS
5. MACLEAN CENTER
DEARBORN
^ ^ TO WEST LOOP GALLERY DISTRICT
LAKEVIEW BUILDING
11. GENE SISKEL FILM CENTER
The Smith Scholarship covers 100 percent of tuition for any non-credit (audit) ECP course taken in fall, spring, or summer, and is awarded to students living in Illinois with financial need.
KEY
Maggie Daley Park
MICHIGAN AVENUE
WASHINGTON
3. THE MODERN WING
10. 162 NORTH STATE STREET RESIDENCES
Grace and Walter Byron Smith Scholarship
TO NORTH MICHIGAN SHOPPING AREA
Millennium Park
2. THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
9. THE CHICAGO BUILDING (Jones Hall)
Financial assistance is available in the form of limited need-based aid and scholarships where need is not a requirement. Visit saic.edu/ecpfinancialaid for more information and how to apply.
RANDOLPH
1. 280 BUILDING
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Financial Assistance
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^ RIVER TO NORTH GALLERY DISTRICT
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Tuition does not include supplies. Students provide their own supplies and will receive a material list on the first day of class. Supplies vary by class and can range from $50–$200.
JACKSON
VAN BUREN
| 7 All SAIC building
Ranked #2 fine arts graduate program in the nation by U.S. News and World Report
Call 312.629.6170 or email cs@saic.edu.
Questions?
Visit continuingstudies.saic.edu to register today!
Two-week sessions Courses run June, July, and August
Summer 2026
saic.edu/ecp
Early College Program 116 S Michigan Ave., 6th floor Chicago, IL 60603
Continuing Studies